Eat The World Tree

He wrapped his arms around the woman’s neck.

He leaned his waist back, shifting his weight forward so it transferred to the woman.

From an outsider’s perspective, it could easily be mistaken for a romantic relationship.

“Fhihihi… Hey, I’m kind of heavy, you know.”

Guseul, who gently held my arm, forced a smile.

The one who inherited the legacy of the Tree Spirit King and a Flower.

Their relationship wasn’t surprising, even if they were to devour each other, but Guseul’s approach to me felt like that of a close classmate.

We were walking down the hallway, her clinging to me as if we were fooling around, pulling various annoying tricks from behind.

“Your hair is pretty soft.”

“I did take good care of it… but when are you going to let go?”

A pure black, shoulder-length bob without a trace of another color. A choker was wrapped around her neck, much like Lee Seyeong’s.

In the center of the black choker was something decorated with a precious metal, which upon closer inspection, seemed to be the fruit of the ddangddaengi tree.

She was wearing the usual participant uniform.

Looking closely, there was certainly a reason she was the most popular at the academy.

“Are you some kind of wooden puppet?”

“You don’t know?”

Besides her personality, her stunning appearance was enough to easily win over the hearts of many men.

In college, among the students who were around twenty or twenty-one, wasn’t there always that one person who somehow combined the youthful impression of a high school girl with the mature charm of an adult?

If I were to describe Guseul’s appearance, it would be right at that perfect intersection.

There was nothing wrong with her looks, whether going in or coming out. It was easy to see why she was planted in the academy to win people’s favor.

‘Flower.’

I fought her once during the midterms, but it was highly likely she wasn’t showing her real abilities.

She seemed like she was just having fun, firing a gun and then running away.

So even if she was hiding something that could overturn the selection competition, or if she was even stronger than me, it wouldn’t be surprising.

But she couldn’t do anything overtly.

After all, whether it was Guseul or the National Tree that turned its back on us, we were all stuck in the middle of enemy territory.

We arrived at the meeting point before I realized it.

I released the arms I had wrapped around her neck. Guseul put her hand on her neck, sighing in relief.

I sat down in the pre-arranged room, and shortly after, Guseul came in.

I first took out the tableware set nearby and offered her some tea.

“So, it’s a meeting, but you got me matched with someone I already know? Oh, thanks.”

Guseul accepted the tea I handed her and placed it in front of herself.

I, too, only poured the tea but didn’t bring it to my lips.

From now on, this was a private space. There was no need for the tedious process of speaking in circles.

I already heard from Byeol that this girl was a Flower.

I took off the mask I had been wearing and placed it on the table before facing Guseul.

“Hey.”

“Hm? What?”

“Isn’t it about time we cut the crap?”

Her black pupils, even with me sitting right in front of her, remained calm and steady.

“Fhihihi. What crap are we cutting?”

Her usual foolish laughter spilled out. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, stop joking around.

“Flower.”

I immediately spoke the name.

“You’re a Flower, aren’t you?”

Guseul’s face hardened in an instant.

Her wide-open eyes narrowed. The light in her pupils dimmed, turning into a cold gray as they no longer reflected the room’s lighting.

“You must be joking.”

A dry voice escaped her lips, sounding slightly cracked.

It was, in a way, a warning. A question of whether I could handle it, to which I gave an unspoken answer.

“Joking, my ass.”

“…So, you do have some backing?”

Her previously cheerful gestures and expressions had calmed down.

The chaotic atmosphere settled as her hands, previously resting on her knees, came up to the table, her fingers tapping lightly.

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

‘She’s acknowledging it quite easily.’

Did she have some nasty trick up her sleeve?

Or maybe she thought that it didn’t matter even if I found out.

She had been hinting that something was off about her from the start.

If she had been determined to hide it, her attitude toward me would have been much more thorough.

Though the initial clue came from the status window, even ignoring that, there were plenty of suspicious things about Guseul’s behavior.

“You were too obvious.”

“…Oh. Was I? I thought I was acting pretty well. Fhihi.”

Guseul awkwardly smiled, raising the corners of her mouth. Despite everything, her appearance didn’t change.

She glanced at me while fiddling with her well-maintained nails.

“Well, I had to let you know sooner or later.”

She suddenly turned her head to look at me.

“So?”

What now? Her provocative smile seemed to ask.

Her bold demeanor made me laugh.

“Are you going to take me down? Like your teacher or those other women.”

“You sure talk big.”

Her clumsy provocation didn’t work.

When I clapped once, Guseul’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m picky about who I take down. Flowers are a bit too much.”

“…….”

“But seriously, is that all you’ve got to say?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

“There’s plenty more to say.”

Why did Guseul infiltrate the academy and watch over me all this time?

When I guessed that her goal was me, the possible answers weren’t many.

Considering all the countless encounters with Flowers, and the advice from Taeyang and Seyeong, the answer became clear.

“You must have a role. Why else would you have entered the academy?”

“….”

“To kill me, or drag me into the Flowers.”

Everything has been laid bare.

Her earlier talk about taking me down subtly revealed that I was the heir to the Tree Spirit King. And I already knew that she was a Flower.

Now the conversation turned to the question of each other’s goals.

Guseul let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Yeah, you do know.”

She reached out and touched the wall.

-Kwajik!

At that moment, magic spread throughout the surroundings.

In response to the brief disturbance, my eyes narrowed as the lights above flickered.

She was good. She broke the surrounding machines in such a way that it would be hard to identify the cause.

“I’ve broken the system. Even if someone suspects us, you’ll be under suspicion too.”

“Bold of you.”

“If I reveal that you’re the Tree Spirit King to others, you won’t escape either. From the moment the system broke, you’re also a suspect.”

She was trying to pull me into a trap, to expose me as the Tree Spirit King.

“Tree Spirit King. To the World Tree, you’re no different from a Flower. No, you’re even more significant than that.”

Indeed.

If everything was revealed, the World Tree side might try to eliminate both the Flowers and me in this Forester Selection Competition.

If such a verdict fell on me, neither Seyeong nor Byeol could help.

Traitor. In that moment, I would become a living disaster.

A downfall. That was what I would face.

The honor and wealth I had built would shatter into pieces.

I was fully aware of that. I knew it from the very beginning.

“So what?”

Even as I faced Guseul, I remained calm.

“That’s why I’m asking.”

Instead, a smile spread across my face.

“Are you going to take me with you or kill me?”

“…….”

“If you guys had really planned to kill me, wouldn’t you have announced it already? You could have used every method possible to broadcast or write articles, telling the world I’m the Tree Spirit King. Then the World Tree would have killed me.”

If it became known that I was the Tree Spirit King, the World Tree would kill me.

That was the truth, but not the whole truth.

There were plenty of reasons why the Flowers didn’t take the simple route, even though they could have.

It was because I had that much value.

“Flowers, after all, are merely successors of the Tree Spirit King on the surface.”

If they killed me, they’d lose their justification. That is why they must be extra cautious.

“And you didn’t even inform the lower ranks. Not about the fact that the Tree Spirit King has an heir.”

If the fact that I was the Tree Spirit King was revealed to all the Flowers, naturally, the lower ranks of the Flowers would be shaken.

Only Guseul and a few high-ranking executives probably knew the truth.

It was all speculation.

But I was confident in it.

If it were me, that was what I would have done. Based on what I had seen of the Flowers’ movements so far, I could read their every thought.

“They’re probably debating whether to kill me or not.”

Guseul licked her lips as if they were dry. Even she didn’t expect herself to come out this strong.

She exhaled deeply, sipped some tea, licked the corner of her mouth, and then looked back at me.

What was she going to do?

I asked her with my eyes. Guseul’s gaze seemed to be lost in deep thought.

I said one last thing.

“And it’s the same with the World Tree.”

The World Tree knew about my existence too.

However, just like the Time World Tree, there was a reason they didn’t rashly oppose me.

Guseul’s threat was only half correct.

“Both sides will want to use me. They’ll be eager to suck me dry, down to my bones and marrow.”

My existence could be fatal to both sides.

The best solution would be to pull me to their side, but if that didn’t work, killing me was the answer.

But in this space, there was no way they could kill me.

To sum it up, this was the point.

So what was she going to do?

If I messed up, would I flee to the World Tree?

Could she handle it?

Even the World Trees would find it easier to press the Flowers if I was around.

No matter if I was the Tree Spirit King, having a convenient tool with a good justification rolling in front of them, why would they refuse it?

“Do you really think the World Tree rules the world with such rationality?”

“If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have remained as gods until now.”

“It’ll just end with the hunting dog being boiled.”

A boiled hunting dog’s fate.

“We’ll see when that time comes.”

And there was a lot of resentment towards the Flowers. Even if I ripped out their guts and hung them right now, it wouldn’t be enough.

The only reason I was keeping my composure was because I had to. If we were in a dungeon right now, I might have already made my move.

Side with the Flowers?

It was impossible, but if it happened, it would be when everyone’s safety and significant power were guaranteed.

“Or, is there any guarantee that I won’t be boiled if I join your side?”

“…….”

Guseul hesitated for a long time.

At that moment, the sound of murmuring grew around us, and she sighed, turning her back.

“Haa. I guess we’ll need to talk again later.”

Guseul glared at me for a moment before loosening the tie around her neck.

“In my room?”

“No.”

I figured as much.

I thought she might try to make me submit, but it seems that won’t happen.

She was carefully selected to deal with me, after all. Her mental strength isn’t ordinary.

With the commotion caused by the broken system, we exchanged glances one last time before parting ways after the meeting.

---

Bananas were delicious.

-Chomp.

Scratching his belly, he roughly peeled the banana and took a big bite.

This had become a routine for Taeyang lately.

The food here was delicious. Having already found the Tree Spirit King’s successor, there was not much left for him to do now.

If he were to choose the happiest moment in his life, he would undoubtedly say it was now.

He was even happier now than when he was surrounded by thirty beautiful women.

‘Damn.’

Of course, the fact that meeting Lee Shiheon killed his libido was annoying.

“Where’s Hyung right now? Is he grabbing someone and having fun again?”

Wandering through the hallway during another boring day, he saw someone in the distance.

Familiar black hair. It was Guseul.

When Taeyang finally caught up with her, he whispered in her ear.

“Why’s a Flower here?”

At his words, Guseul slightly turned her head. She and Taeyang locked eyes.

“Fhihi. You don’t have long to live. Are you here to brag about your short lifespan?”

“Oh, you can see my lifespan? Where is it?”

Taeyang exaggeratedly tilted his head back, waving his hand over his head with a rotten smile.

“It must be too short to see. But damn, isn’t it crossing the line to tease someone about their lifespan?”

“Did I say anything wrong?”

“The truth hurts the most, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not ‘truth,’ it’s fact. Anyway, don’t act like you know me.”

“Hmph. I was just saying hi since I saw you.”

Taeyang shrugged and bit into his banana again.

As they continued walking, Guseul, who had turned her back, called out to him.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“What I mentioned two years ago. Have you thought about it again?”

Two years ago.

It feels like it had been even longer.

That place where they researched the Tree Spirit King’s power, it was secretly supported by the Flowers.

Naturally, the Flowers’ goal was the power Taeyang would possess.

No one knew where the Tree Spirit King would appear or whose side he would join.

After Taeyang acquired the Tree Spirit King’s power, the Flowers made a discreet offer for him to join them.

Taeyang chewed on his banana for a long time, thinking about it.

What had he been thinking back then?

He probably answered without much thought.

“Go about your business.”

As if she expected that, Guseul shrugged and walked down the hallway.

Taeyang snorted and yawned.

“Where the hell is Hyung? We were supposed to have dinner together tonight.”

Taeyang thought to himself.

He’d need to eat a lot more for dinner today to feel satisfied.